


Babysitter Wanted

by lanadelraywood



Series: Babysitter AU [1]
Category: Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter RPF
Genre: Babysitter AU, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-28
Updated: 2015-03-16
Packaged: 2018-03-03 23:18:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,961
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2891813
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lanadelraywood/pseuds/lanadelraywood
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ray is a babysitter. He needs money.<br/>Ryan has a lot of money. He needs a babysitter.<br/>((title pending bc im trash))</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Ray walked up to the house and stopped short. No way. There was no way he was babysitting for a kid in this... This mansion. He double checked the slip of paper with the address, and sure enough, he was at the right place. 

'Only one way to find out,' he thought to himself, and walked up to the door, knocking gently. He stood for a moment, so long that he debated ringing the doorbell. But then he heard the door unlocking and it swung open and oh boy oh boy, there stood the most gorgeous man Ray had ever seen in his life. 

'Please don't let him be the dad,' Ray thought before he could stop himself. He pushed the thought away quickly, however. He had a job, first and foremost, and that job was babysitting.

"Mr Haywood?" Ray guessed. 

The man smiled and nodded. "Call me Ryan. You must be Ray. Please, come in." 

Ryan stepped aside and allowed Ray to walk in. The interior of the house was just as gorgeous as the outside. High ceilings, crystal chandeliers, extravagant paintings and lush carpeting on the stairs. This was clearly the house of a very rich man. Ray silently thanked whoever had allowed Ryan to find his contact information. 

"Gavin and Michael are just about ready for bed," Ryan said, gesturing for Ray to follow him upstairs. Even through his socks Ray could tell that the carpet was one of the softest things he'd ever felt. 

"It's probably cruel to leave you with both of them, but they've been running around all day and are pretty exhausted," Ryan was saying. Ray was almost too caught up in the house to really pay attention to where he was going. He wondered if he could maybe lose the front door, never have to leave.

"This house is amazing," Ray commented, finally voicing his thoughts.

Ryan chuckled softly. "Thanks. It's probably too much for just two of us, but it's not too bad."

"Two of you? Is your kid's name Gavin and Michael?" Ray asked, confused. 

Ryan paused, looking over at Ray. He laughed. "Sorry," he said, still smiling lightly. "Should have mentioned. No, Gavin's mine. Michael's the son of my friend, Jack. Three of us gents have plans tonight, so Michael's coming over here. Geoff - our other friend - has kids too, but they're old enough to be on their own. Gavin and Michael get on pretty well... Most of the time, so it only made sense to have them both under one roof. And in capable hands, I trust?"

"Yes, of course," Ray nodded. He allowed a small smile onto his face as he added, "I promise I won't let them eat all the candy." 

"Oh, god," Ryan said, something that looked like real fear in his eyes. "Do not let Gavin have any candy, especially not at this hour. He will be bouncing off the walls all night, and Michael will get annoyed and --" Ryan stopped himself, smiling again. "Yeah, just... Don't give him candy." 

Ray nodded in understanding.

"CANDY?" A small voice yelled, and out of one of the many rooms ahead of them a small bundle of human dashed out, colliding with Ryan's legs. Ryan hardly even flinched, and Ray was impressed. 'He must have strong legs...' Ray shook himself. Now was not the time for those thoughts. 

"No candy tonight, Gavin," Ryan said, and the small boy detached himself from Ryan's leg with a small pout. 

"Aww, please?" 

"No, it's bed time. Maybe in the morning." 

Gavin was about to open his mouth to protest again when he caught sight of Ray, who had been standing slightly behind Ryan.

"Whozat?" Another voice asked, and they all looked round to see another small boy standing in the doorway of the room Gavin had hurdled out of, arms crossed and an attempt at an intimidating look on his face. His glasses slipped down his nose a bit and he had to uncross his arms to fix them.

"Boys, this is Ray. He's going to stay with you tonight while I go out with Geoff and Jack." 

Ray gave a little wave. 

"Why are you leaving?" Gavin asked, sounding nearly heartbroken.

"I'm not leaving, silly," Ryan said, smiling reassuringly. He knelt down to Gavin's level, looking him right in the eye. "You'll go to sleep tonight and I promise in the morning when you wake up I'll be right back where I always am." 

Gavin's lower lip trembled. 

"It's okay, Gavvy, I'll be here too!" Michael said, walking up beside Gavin and patting him gently on the shoulder.

"Thanks Micoo," Gavin sniffed. He accepted Ryan's hug and then stepped back, letting Ryan stand up. 

Ray stood back, awkwardly looking around. This happened at a lot of the places he babysat, and he still hadn't quite figured out how to deal with it. 

Ryan turned back to Ray. "After they've brushed their teeth and gone to bed, you can go into that room. There are a bunch of V-I-D-E-O G-A-M-E-S to occupy you while they're sleeping," Ryan said, not missing the way Ray's eyes lit up at the mention of video games. He thought it rather cute but stopped himself from saying so. Instead he just smiled again, a small smile, and noted with satisfaction that Ray's pupils dilated ever so slightly. 

"I'll head out now. There's a paper in the games room with my number, Geoff's number, Jack's number, and about a thousand other numbers you probably - hopefully - won't have to call." 

"Alright. Have a good time, Mr H-- Ryan." 

Ryan smiled again, gave one last hug to Michael and Gavin, and left. 

Ray turned back to the little boys, both of which were staring at him calculatingly. He tried a smile, but they remained mostly expressionless. The second the door slammed shut, they grinned.

"Can we play video games?" They asked immediately. 

Ray bit back his smile. "Sorry guys, but I was told your bedtime is at eight, and that's, uh... Now." 

"Aww, Ray!" Gavin sighed. "Please? Daddy always lets us."

Michael nodded vehemently. "It's true, he does."

"Right," Ray said. "Well, he didn't say anything about that. Maybe next time." 

The looks he got from that made his heart lurch. They looked so sad. He sighed. 

"Well..." He began, and they looked hopeful. "If you listen to me and get ready for bed without a fuss, you can play for ten minutes." 

Delighted smiles lit up the two little boys' faces and they all but jumped for joy.

"Wow, X-Ray! You're the best!" Gavin yelled excitedly. 

"X-Ray?" Michael asked. "What does that mean?" 

"I dunno. It's some doctor thing." 

"Is it from the stupid Doctor What thing because--" 

"No! It's Doctor Who, Michael, and it's not stupid..." 

Ray let their conversation fall on somewhat deaf ears as he guided them towards their room. He was beginning to understand what Ryan had said earlier about how it was cruel to leave him alone with the both of them. And more so, he thought with something like a sense of impending doom, if this is what they're like when they're worn out...

The thought was pushed unceremoniously out of his mind when a pillow hit him square in the face. In the same instant, Michael and Gavin fell silent, looking on in fear, not knowing what Ray's reaction would be.

But Ray, after getting over his initial surprise, just smiled and picked up the pillow, throwing it back at Gavin, who fell back on the bed with a noise best described as a squawk. Michael burst into laughter. 

"You okay, Gavin?" Ray asked, holding back his own laughter.

Gavin appeared from behind the pillow grinning ear to ear. "Top!" He exclaimed. Ray just shook his head good naturedly, at this point more or less accustomed to the small boy's silliness. 

"He's always making up words like that," Michael said, trying to sound older than he was. He was looking at Ray, the best look of professionalism he could muster on his face.

"They're not made up, Michael!" 

"Yes they a--"

"Alright, alright," Ray said, raising his hands lightly to silence them. He really didn't want them to start fighting. "Remember what I said? Let's get you guys ready for bed."

Ten minutes later, the two boys were dressed in their pyjamas, they'd brushed their teeth and were by all accounts ready for bed. They looked quite tired, too, and Ray somewhat regretted telling them they'd be allowed to play video games. Maybe they'd forgotten.

"Can we play games now?"

Ray sighed a little, but there was a smile on his face.

\-----

Around midnight, Ryan returned. Ray was so engrossed in his game he didn't even hear the door open, but to be fair, it WAS a large house.

True to their word, ten minutes after some Minecraft, the boys had obediently listened to Ray when he told them it was bedtime. They fell asleep in their beds easily enough, and when Ray had gone to check on them a few hours later, he found them curled up together in Gavin's bed. He had smiled and gone back to his game. 

"I guess things went well," a voice said, and Ray nearly jumped a mile. He fumbled with the controller, pausing the game and whipping around to see Ryan standing in the doorway, looking amused. 

"Jesus, you scared me," Ray breathed, but he was fine. "Yeah, they went to bed pretty quickly. I, uh, I let them play video games for a few minutes before they went to bed, though. I hope that's alright?"

Ryan nodded. "I usually let them do the same," he said, walking into the room and sitting on the couch next to Ray. It wasn't a particularly small distance, but it wasn't a huge one either. Certainly too close for a babysitter and the parent of a kid he'd only just met. 

"They did mention that," Ray said. "I wasn't sure if they were just trying to stay up later or not though," he added with a soft chuckle. Silence settled after that and Ray began to feel awkward. "Well," he decided, moving to stand up. "I should probably, ah..."

"You haven't finished your game," Ryan pointed out. It looked like he was about to reach out and take Ray's wrist, but then he thought better of it. Before Ray could protest, Ryan was continuing.

"Really, I don't mind. Goodness knows I play too much on my own. We might as well play together a bit, if you have the time that is." 

Ray settled back into the couch, nodding. "I've got nothing planned and I suppose it wouldn't hurt. Unless you're some sort of psychopathic murderer, which I doubt because you've got a kid." 

Ryan laughed. Ordinarily, when someone rambled on the way Ray seemed to, Ryan would find it tiresome. Something about the way Ray's words led into each other was appealing to Ryan and he couldn't for the life of him figure out why. Apart from the obvious, but he wasn't going to let himself think about that until at least the second time Ray came over. 

"I promise I won't kill you. In real life, that is," he added as an afterthought. "I will, however, absolutely destroy you in any and all video games."

"Oh, will you now?" Ray asked challengingly. 

Ryan quirked an eyebrow and Ray was glad he was sitting down because his knees felt weak. "Game on."


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is so cheesy i'm sorry. also i haven't edited this yet but i wILL

Some weeks later, Ray was back. Apparently Ryan had been pleased with how he'd handled the kids and Gavin and Michael had spoken highly of him as well. 

Their last evening had been unlike every other babysitting job Ray had ever had. Normally, the parents got home, Ray got paid, and then he left. With Ryan, though, they played various video games until nearly four in the morning, and THEN Ray got paid (more than usual) and went home. 

Ryan had walked him to the front door (which was good because Ray had completely forgotten the way) and Ray could swear Ryan had almost gone to hug him before he left. 

"Thank you so much for watching Michael and Gavin tonight," Ryan had said when they reached the door, eyes smiling.

"They were no trouble, really," Ray insisted.

Ryan's smile grew. "Just wait until they're not as relaxed," he said with a chuckle. "Then you'll be demanding double pay."

Ray laughed. "I'm coming back, then?" 

"Well, I hope so," Ryan said, and something in his tone and the way he looked at Ray suggested it wasn't just to have someone to watch the children. 

Ray felt suddenly rather flustered, although he couldn't quite understand why. "I hope so too," he muttered without thinking. He felt his face redden slightly, and before Ryan could say anything he continued. "I'll be going then. Thank you." Ray turned slightly and grabbed the door handle.

"I should be thanking you," Ryan pointed out, and it was then that he had stepped forward marginally, arms partially raised before he thought better of it. He stopped himself, and said nothing more when Ray just smiled, blushing more before he opened the door and left. 

That encounter was more or less forgotten when Ryan opened the door those few weeks later when Ray was back. They greeted each other with smiles, and this time Ray remembered to say "Ryan" instead of first stuttering over "Mr Haywood." 

Just like last time, Ryan led Ray upstairs and down the hall that led to Gavin's room. They were making small talk about Ray's trip over, Ryan making sure everything had been alright and such. Before Ray was able to respond, he was interrupted by a rather loud yell. 

Ryan sighed. "Right. You remember how last time Michael and Gavin were pretty relaxed?" 

Ray nodded, not wanting to hear what came next, but volunteering his own conclusions nonetheless. "Let me guess," he began. "This time they're--" 

"Not," Ryan finished for him, nodding. "Gavin, uh, found some candy." 

"Oh dear god," Ray said quietly, earning a laugh out of Ryan. "Are you sure it's safe to leave me alone with them? I mean I'm sure I could handle --" 

"Oh, I'm not leaving you alone with them. I just needed someone else to help me keep them in check." 

That made Ray pause. It wasn't something he was used to, being around the kids while the parents (or in this case, parent) were still there. He trailed slightly behind as Ryan continued into the room Michael and Gavin were in. Ryan seemed to realise Ray wasn't following him and turned. 

"That's not a problem, is it?" Ryan asked, concern in his tone. 

Ray shook his head and Ryan smiled. 

Ray knew he was a goner right then and there. 

\---

It seemed like nearly an eternity later that Jack came to pick up Michael. He seemed like a very nice man, although Ray hardly even spoke to him. Really, he only went to the front door with Ryan because Gavin wanted to say goodbye, and since he also had a history of running down the long driveway after Jack's car and then somehow managing to get lost, Ryan requested Ray keep a hold on his hand. 

Michael and Gavin gave each other huge hugs goodbye and then Michael left, waving goodbye to Ray. As soon as Ryan shut the door behind them, he sighed.

"Everything alright?" Ray asked, not even sure if he was allowed to ask such a question.

Ryan turned, half smiling. "Yeah. It's just, y'know, tiring." 

Ray nodded. He was about to speak when he felt a tug on his hand. He looked down to see Gavin peering up at him. "Yes?" He asked. 

"Can I go now?" Gavin asked. Ray looked and Ryan and Gavin followed his gaze. Ryan nodded, and Ray released Gavin's hand. Gavin proceeded to dart away, back upstairs. Ryan smiled and decided not to comment on the way Ray looked at him.

"Well, if that's all you needed I guess I should --" Ray began. 

"So anxious to leave already?" Ryan asked, looking amused. 

Ray frowned at him, slightly confused. "Well... Michael's gone. You said earlier that Gavin calms down a bit when he's by himself."

"You don't have to be here just for babysitting, you know," Ryan said, stepping closer. 

"Well, ah, what else would I be here for?" Ray asked, cursing his heartbeat for speeding up. 

"Any number of things..." Ryan trailed off, smirking slightly. 

"Like?" Ray prompted, wondering how far he could push his luck. 

Ryan, still smirking, quirked an eyebrow and once again Ray felt weak in the knees. Thank god he managed to stay upright. Although, he thought later, if he'd fallen, maybe Ryan would have had to catch him...

“Playing video games with you last time was fun,” Ryan said finally, and Ray knew from the other’s tone that he was totally thinking of saying something else. “Although losing to you so often was less fun. We could have something of a rematch?” 

“I’ll beat you in anything, I swear,” Ray promised, much like last time. 

Ryan took another step closer. “Anything?” 

Ray swallowed his nervousness and smirked, which was not what Ryan had been expecting. “You bet.” 

As it happened, Ray lost spectacularly on account of Ryan knowing exactly how to distract him. Something involving a low, borderline seductive voice speaking right in his ear just seemed to throw Ray off for whatever reason. Nothing to do with the fact that it was Ryan or anything. 

“Hah! I won again!” Ryan exclaimed triumphantly.

“You cheated!” Ray protested, but he was grinning all the same. 

“Cheated? No way. How did I cheat?” 

“You were distracting me.” 

“You let yourself be distracted. You just wanted me whispering more dirty things in your ear,” Ryan said, his signature eyebrow quirking again. 

That was completely true but there was no way Ray was going to admit that. “No homo though, right?” He said, still grinning. 

Ryan just laughed. 

“Oh, shit,” Ray said, taking notice of the time. It was nearly three in the morning. “I should head out.”

“Parents gonna worry?” Ryan asked, immediately concerned. “You can borrow my phone if you want.”

Ray smiled, albeit a little sadly. “Nah. My mom, uh, really care that much. But still, I can’t stay here forever, so y’know. Thanks for letting me hang around though, it’s super nice of you.” 

“Does your mom even know you’re here?” 

Ray shook his head. “As long as I check in once in a while she doesn’t bother with me.” 

Ryan looked at him for a few moments, silently. He seemed deep in thought. “You … Could stay here, then. If you wanted. It’s not like I’m short on rooms.” Although, truth be told, Ryan preferred that if Ray did stay with him, that it was in Ryan’s bed. 

Ray looked understandably shocked and it took him a moment to properly respond. “I-I really couldn’t… I mean, no offense or anything, and I would love that but I just… I still hardly know you?” 

Ryan nodded. “Good point,” he said. Ray still looked worried, so he smiled. “Don’t worry about it, I’m not gonna hate you for it. I’ll walk you to the door.” 

He stood from the couch and Ray followed him downstairs. On the way down, Ray was uncharacteristically quiet and Ryan wasn’t entirely sure why. They reached the door and Ryan thanked Ray again for his help. 

“See you next time,” Ryan said.

Ray looked up, his previously sombre expression melting instantly. “I’m coming back?”

Ryan looked confused. “Yes? Why wouldn’t you be?” 

Ray blushed. “I- I dunno, I just thought… With the…” 

“Don’t be ridiculous, Ray,” Ryan said, patting the other on the shoulder. It was a perfectly harmless, innocent gesture and would have remained as such if Ryan hadn’t left his hand there, letting his thumb graze absentmindedly back and forth. “I’m not going to be mad about that. Besides, of all the babysitters I’ve had, you’ve handled Gavin and Michael best of all.” 

Ray was silent again, his face reddening more. “Thanks,” he managed to choke out. He was rather distracted by the patterns Ryan was drawing with his thumb. If he kept that up Ray was going to – 

Ryan’s hand moved right then, just before Ray decided to all but launch himself forward and the moment was gone. 

“See you later, Ray,” Ryan said, and Ray was about to leave when Ryan remembered something. “Wait,” he said, and Ray turned. “I was gonna give you this.” Ryan handed Ray a key, and Ray took it, looking confused.

“What’s this for?” 

“Front door. It’s easier for you to let yourself in than for me to walk through half the house to let you in. Besides, there are some days where I leave Gavin alone for half a second and he disappears. It’s… Not the easiest thing in the world trying to find him in this house.“

Ray pocketed the key, understandably shocked. With another smile and a slight wave, he left, shutting the door behind him.

Ryan’s friendly smile disappeared and he sighed, slumping forward and bumping his head on the door. “Damn it,” he muttered. 

Outside, Ray was in a similar predicament. He fell backwards, letting the door catch his weight. If this kept up, he was gonna end up sucking this guy’s dick. If he was interpreting their interactions correctly, though, that wouldn’t be a problem. He sighed and pushed off the door. There was no point in waiting around, unless he planned on going back in Ryan’s house, which, all things considered, wouldn’t be that bad. It would definitely be better than going back “home,” but he didn’t want to intrude as he was sure Ryan was just being polite. 

How things change. 

Ray got home that evening to find his mother still awake and waiting for him, looking extraordinarily angry. 

“Uh,” he said, pausing in the doorway. “Hi?” 

“Pack your things,” his mother said sharply. “You’re no longer allowed to live here.” 

Ray looked at her in confusion. “What? Why?” 

“You’re an adult now! You need to stop sneaking out and coming back so late! It’s going to get you nowhere!” 

“I – I was babysitting –“ Ray tried to explain, but his mother wasn’t having it.

“At three in the morning? You need to stop lying to me! Get your things and get out.”

Ray stood, still in the doorway, mind having trouble processing what was happening. 

“MOVE!” 

And move Ray did. 

He grabbed his essentials, throwing some clothes into a suitcase. His mother stood in the doorway of his room, a disapproving look on her face the whole time. 

He turned to her, slightly worried. “What… What about my games?” 

His mother looked at him silently for a moment. “Come back and get them when you can,” she said before she turned on her heel and left. “But don’t let me see you again!” 

Ray was undeniably shocked by the current turn of events. He hadn’t even thought about where he was going to go. Apart from the obvious, but he didn’t know if he could just walk up to Ryan’s house at what was now nearly four in the morning and just let himself in. Regardless, he had no other choice. 

He took his suitcase full of things to his car and drove back to Ryan’s. He parked in the driveway but didn’t get out of the car. He pulled out his phone and sent a text to Ryan.

>Are you still awake? 

*Yes. Is everything alright? 

>Not really. I’m outside… Can I come in? 

Instead of a reply, Ray looked up a few moments later to see Ryan opening the front door and gesturing for him to come in. 

Ray got out of his car and was met by Ryan partway down the driveway. 

“What happened?” Ryan asked. 

“My, uh, my mom kicked me out and I had nowhere else to go so I… I’m sorry.” Ray suddenly felt ashamed, embarrassed, and a whole host of other negative emotions. “I shouldn’t have come here. I’ll just…” Ray moved to leave but Ryan grabbed his hand, pulling him closer. Ray sort of froze when Ryan hugged him but it was really the last thing he had expected. 

“Don’t be sorry. There’s always a place for you here,” Ryan said, and they both knew he didn’t just mean physically.


	3. Chapter 3

The next morning, Ray woke up feeling far more comfortable than he was used to being. He opened his eyes and took a few moments, trying to remember where he was. He reached haphazardly for his glasses on the nightstand. Even after having put them on he was having some difficulty remembering.

In an instant, the memories rushed back to him and he remembered everything. From Ryan offering him a place to live to his mom kicking him out to Ryan ... hugging him.

Those memories brought on a flood of warmth and Ray sunk into his blankets with an embarrassed groan.

"You're awake," a voice said, and Ray sat straight upright in surprise, seeing Ryan in the doorway. Shirtless Ryan in just pyjama pants.

Oh boy.

"Uh, I... Uh. Yeah," Ray stuttered, trying to keep his eyes on Ryan's face, which was proving to be quite difficult. “I just woke up.”

“I can tell. You seem kind of off,” Ryan said with a light chuckle. “Still half asleep?”

“Y-Yeah, something like that,” Ray stuttered, swallowing nervously, looking anywhere but at Ryan.

“Breakfast is downstairs, so when you’re ready…” Ryan trailed off and turned to leave. He stopped when he heard rustling behind him and glanced over his shoulder to see Ray scrambling out of bed.

“I, um, I don’t know where the food is,” Ray said, stopping behind Ryan. His hair was a mess and his glasses were crooked and it was the most adorable thing Ryan had ever seen.

“In that case, I shall take you to the food.”

“You’re too kind.”

~~~~

A few hours later, when breakfast was finished and Gavin had run off to play, Ray was left in the kitchen with Ryan, helping him clean up. Ray wasn’t entirely sure where they were to go from here. Was this his home now? That was a bit ridiculous, but Ray knew he couldn’t just go back to where he used to live, not since what happened.

He suddenly remembered, halfway to the counter with his and Gavin’s empty plates that he still needed to get his videos games.

“Something the matter?” Ryan asked from behind him, having noticed his pause.

“Oh. Well. Kind of. I have to get my video games and stuff from home. I just don’t know where I’m going to put them.”

Ryan smiled. “It’s not like I’m short on space here, you know,” he pointed out.

Ray turned to him, eyes wide, shaking his head. “No no no, I can’t stay here. I don’t want to intrude or take up too much space or –“

“Ray, Ray, calm down,” Ryan said soothingly, moving to stand in front of Ray. He placed his hands on the younger’s shoulders. “Really, you’ve seen how big this place is. Do you really think you’d be taking too much space?”

Ray shook his head, not looking at Ryan.

“Look at me,” Ryan said quietly. He waited for Ray to look up at him before continuing. “Do you really think I just let you stay here last night assuming you’d find somewhere else to go right when you woke up? You’re welcome to stay here for as long as you need to, and I mean it.”

Ray allowed a small smile onto his face and was about to thank him when they were interrupted by a gasp from behind him. They both turned to see a delighted looking Gavin standing in the doorway.

A smile stretching all the way across his face, he exclaimed, “X-RAY’S GONNA LIVE HERE?”

Ryan turned back to Ray with a look as if to say, ‘How are you going to say no to _that_?’

Ray just grinned. “I guess I am.”

\--                   

Ray was able to retrieve his games with no difficulty. His mother was at work so the house was empty, and he let himself in with the key he still had. He walked slowly through the house, knowing he likely wouldn’t be returning. He had to memorise every detail of the place that he could because once he left there was no going back. He had so many fond memories of this house, even if his mother wasn’t always the most caring towards him.

Despite Ray trying to concentrate on the place he once called his home, as he packed his consoles and games into boxes, his mind couldn’t help but wander to his new home. He had to stop himself from smiling at that thought. It was ridiculous, honestly, that he was reading so much into this. Yeah, okay, it wasn’t every day that the single hot dad you babysit for offers to let you live with him, but surely if anything is special circumstances it would be these?

Ray thinks back to the time he found himself in Ryan’s room accidentally-on-purpose while playing hide and seek with Gavin. Ray took one look at the bed and nearly threw himself onto it. He curled himself in the blankets and immediately wanted to stay there forever.

‘Ready or not, here I come!’ He heard Gavin yell. ‘Ray… Are you in… why are you in bed?’

‘Listen it’s really comfortable, okay,’ Ray said, sticking his head out from behind the covers.

Gavin only laughed. ‘I found you!’

Ray pretended like he’d been fooled tremendously by Gavin’s ingenious plan and reluctantly crawled out of the bed. It became somewhat of a tradition, though, that every time Ryan was out, Ray and Gavin played hide and seek, and Ray would “hide” in Ryan’s bed. More often than not, Gavin would begin counting outside Ryan’s door to try and force Ray to hide somewhere else.

Ray thought back on this fondly as he packed the last game away. He started carrying the boxes downstairs. He’d just finished loading them into his car when he saw his mother turn down their street. Part of him wanted to stay and try and talk to her but he knew she wanted nothing to do with him. Suddenly in a much lower mood than he had been, he turned the key and drove back to Ryan’s house.

Ray walked up to the front door with the two boxes balanced precariously on top of each other. He was about to knock when he remembered that Ryan had in fact given him a key. He set the boxes down on the ground and fished it out of his pocket, unlocking the door and pushing it open. He put the key away and grabbed the boxes again, walking quietly inside.

He saw Ryan leading Gavin up the stairs and was about to say something when he realised they were talking about something. They didn’t notice him come in.

“Is X-Ray really going to stay here forever?” Gavin asked, and the hopefulness in his voice made Ray smile.

“Well, maybe not forever. But this is his home for as long as he –“

“Can he be my new mommy?” Gavin interrupted suddenly, and Ray nearly dropped the boxes he was holding.

“W-Well, we, uh, we would have to talk to Ray about that first,” Ryan stuttered. He was glad Ray wasn’t around to hear him.

“I was only asking because he sleeps in your bed sometimes. I’ll ask him when he gets back!” Gavin decided cheerfully and walked past Ryan, dashing up to his room.

“What do you mean he sleeps in my bed?” Ryan called after him, a smile making its way onto his face.

“That’s a lie!” Ray said, smiling as well when he saw Ryan turn in surprise. “We play hide and seek and sometimes I … Well, I discovered once that your bed is a rather good hiding place?”

Ryan was smiling a smile that suggested he knew something Ray didn’t. He walked down a few steps to meet Ray at the bottom, taking one of the boxes from him. “And so you decided to use that as your ‘hiding place’ multiple times?” Ryan asked.

“Okay, so, maybe it’s not a great hiding place but it’s extremely comfortable,” Ray said, only slightly sheepish. Ryan didn’t seem to mind the fact that Ray had been in his bed, so Ray decided he didn’t have to be embarrassed.

“I know. Consider yourself invited to sleep in it whenever you want,” Ryan said after a moment, winking as he turned on his heel and carrying the box of games up to the room Ray was staying in.

Ray followed behind a few moments later, having had to steady himself against the railing first.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i am. so sorry.  
> also i almost just  
> "Feel free to sleep with me whenever you want. I mean. No I meant feel free to sleep in ... fuck."  
> "Dude be honest, do u wanna stick it in me or nah?"


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "As it turned out, Ray didn’t invite himself into Ryan’s bed that night, or any night for that matter."  
> The end, basically.

As it turned out, Ray didn’t invite himself into Ryan’s bed that night, or any night for that matter. No matter how much he wanted to, he wasn’t sure whether Ryan had been joking or not. He didn’t want to risk it, either, and have Ryan think he was weird.  Or worse, kick him out.

These were Ray’s thoughts as he lay awake, approaching one in the morning. He sighed and rolled over, opening his eyes and then shutting them again forcefully.

‘Just go to _sleep_ , Ray,’ he thought to himself. ‘Think about Ryan when you’re not putting your mental health in danger.’

For once, it actually worked and Ray could feel himself relaxing and starting to drop off. He should have known it was too good to be true, though.

Suddenly, he heard a tiny scream, one that grew louder gradually, accompanied by footsteps. Very fast footsteps. Ray sat up very suddenly, still in the haze of almost-sleep and felt slightly frightened. The footsteps grew louder and louder and Ray shrunk back into the covers, terrified of the creature that might burst into his room at any moment.

But the footsteps didn’t even hesitate outside his door. They continued past, down the hall, to where Ryan’s room was.  Ray heard muffled crying, and realised with some embarrassment at his own stupidity that it was Gavin, who probably had a nightmare.

Feeling bad he’d suspected little Gavin of being some terrifying monster and also curious as to whether he could help, Ray threw off the covers and climbed out of bed. He knew he wouldn’t be getting back to sleep any time soon anyway. Besides, Ray thought to himself as he opened the door, maybe now he’ll have an excuse to sleep in Ryan’s bed again. Ray felt his face heat up slightly and pushed the thought away, but didn’t do anything about the tiny smile that found its way onto his face.

He walked the short distance down the hall to Ryan’s room, where the door that was normally closed at night sat open. Ray approached hesitantly, looking in to see Gavin huddled against Ryan, who looked half asleep but alert nonetheless. Gavin was blubbering about how the monster in his nightmare had chased him down a very long hallway, and it was scary because the monster was big and loud and Gavin couldn’t seem to run very fast.

Ray knocked lightly on the doorframe, adjusting his glasses slightly.

“I heard loud noises,” Ray said quietly, suddenly feeling slightly sheepish interrupting their moment. “Is everything alright?”

“Gavin had a –“

“It was so scary X-Ray!” Gavin said suddenly, pulling himself away from Ryan and kneeling on the bed. “There was a giant monster, with huge claws and everything! It wouldn’t stop chasing me and... and... _chasing me_!”

“That sounds pretty scary, Gav,” Ray said, stepping forward marginally, wanting to come in. He glanced at Ryan for the okay and when the older nodded Ray walked in, and sat at the foot of the bed. Ryan sat up more, leaning back against the headboard.  Gavin watched with wide watery eyes, lower lip still trembling as he nodded.

“It was terrifying!” Gavin confirmed, voice squeaky. He looked down at the bed, suddenly seeming more sad than scared. “I don’t want the monster to come back.”

The look on Ryan’s face was heartbreaking to say the least, and Ray felt a tug on his heartstrings.

“Well, I don’t think you have to worry too much,” Ray says seriously, looking right at Gavin.

“Why? It attacked me before! It’s going to come back, isn’t it?” Gavin asked, sounding slightly helpless.

“Maybe it will, but you’ll be okay. Do you want to know why?”

Gavin nodded.

“Because no matter where you are, X-Ray and Vav will always be there to save the day,” Ray assured him, nodding solemnly.

 “Vav?” Ryan and Gavin ask simultaneously.

“You, buddy,” Ray smiled. “X-Ray and Vav, the best superhero duo in the world!”

Gavin smiled widely and Ryan looked at the two affectionately. Feeling immensely better and far more reassured, Gavin curled up with Ryan and shut his eyes.  He was exhausted after being woken up by the nightmare. Besides, he thought to himself, if he was going to be fighting crime, even in a dream, he needed to be well rested and prepared.

Ray stood, ready to leave. He nodded at Ryan when the older mouthed a word of thanks and was nearly out the door when a small voice called out.

“No wait! I can’t sleep without you here, X-Ray! You’ve gotta stay so you can help me beat the monster, like you promised!”

Ray turned to see Gavin peering at him from under Ryan’s arm, lower lip trembling again. Ray froze, like a deer in the headlights. Did he want to stay? Of course he did. But not just because of Gavin.

“You can’t say no to that,” Ryan said with a wink. That man and his damn winks.

Ray felt his face redden again but joined them, lying on Gavin’s other side, keeping his distance. Gavin tugged his arm, pulling him closer. Ray brought his arm up to rest under the pillow and his hand brushed against Ryan’s. They exchange a glance over the top of Gavin’s head and Ray was pretty sure he’d never felt more embarrassed. But Ryan just smiled and Ray felt himself relax.

More tired than ever, Ray felt his eyes fall shut and he was drifting off to sleep faster and easier than he ever had in his bed alone, be it at Ryan’s house or his mother’s.

The next morning, Ray awoke, confused as to why he felt so warm. His eyes adjusted to the light streaming in through the window and he – wait, the window? There was no window in his room. He glanced around and remembered suddenly that he was in fact in Ryan’s room.

In Ryan’s bed.

With Ryan.

Gavin was nowhere to be seen, but Ray could hear him a few rooms down, playing by himself. His voice drifted through the otherwise quiet house but Ray couldn’t quite make out what he was saying. He focused instead on why he was so warm, and found out quite quickly that it was because Ryan was pressed up against his back, arm draped lazily over his stomach.

Ray allowed himself a few moments to collect his thoughts before deciding he was fed up with being nervous and embarrassed. He decided to make the most of the situation he was in and pressed backwards lightly, more or less melting into Ryan’s hold.

“Good morning,” a voice mumbled in his ear, and that was when Ray realised that Ryan was awake, and probably had been for quite some time.

“Morning,” Ray returned, surprising even himself with the steadiness of his voice.

“Did you sleep alright?” Ryan asked, voice still quiet. He pulled Ray closer still, which was quite the feat considering how closely they were already pressed together.

“Y-Yeah, I did. Better than I normally do, too,” Ray added, hoping for a permanent invite. Ryan’s bed was very comfortable, okay, and that was definitely the only reason he wanted to –

“Was it because you slept with me?”

Ray snorted a laugh and was delighted to hear the flusteredness in Ryan’s voice.

“I mean, uh, I meant that... you were sleeping in my bed. N-not that we, y’know, uh...”

“Fucked?”

“ _Ray_!”

“Sorry! But that _is_ what you were saying,” Ray was trying to stifle laughter and failing terribly.

Ryan was glad Ray couldn’t see the embarrassment on his face.

“But, uh, for the record,” Ray added quietly a few moments later, after he’d calmed down. “It was because I ‘slept with you,’ yeah.”

“Then stay here from now on,” Ryan said decisively. “It’s no good having you tired all the time like you have been.”

Ray rolled over to face Ryan, eyes widening. “You mean it?” He asked, trying not to sound too hopeful.

Ryan looked at him, a small smile on his face. “Of course.”  Before he could think twice about it, Ryan leaned down and pressed a light kiss to Ray’s forehead.  “Why wouldn’t I?”

Ray felt his face heat up for what must have been the third time that morning alone, not counting the night before. He broke eye contact with Ryan, eyes drifting down to settle on the other’s lips.

“I dunno,” Ray said quietly. “I just... Wasn’t sure.”

“Wasn’t sure of what?”

Ray looked back up at Ryan, a smile of his own playing across his features. “I wasn’t sure if you’d want me to do this or not,” he said, and then he leaned forward and pressed his lips to Ryan’s, finally kissing him. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm thinking of doing another thing in this universe but uh.. more in the future. Maybe. It's a possibility. Don't wait up, basically.

**Author's Note:**

> that was a really cheesy way to end this but it's just the first part and i couldn't think of what else to put. more to come in the future!


End file.
